Keldeo and the Spirit of Winter
by Regina Demonica
Summary: On a mission to investigate an unusually harsh winter, the Apprentice Swordsman Keldeo discovers a human boy collapsed in the snow. Defying his masters' hatred of humans, he rescues the child, only to discover that the boy has a strange secret. Relentlessly pursued by his own teachers, Keldeo must discover the truth behind an ancient legend as people and Pokemon begin to disappear.
1. The Boy in the Snow

**This story is set in the same alternate universe as _Giratina and the Heavenly War_ and is set some time after it, although both stories can stand alone. It is an alternate version of _Kyurem VS the Sacred Swordsman: Keldeo_, and the world that it is set in is significantly influenced by Japanese folklore and mythology.**

**Reviews are read and appreciated, so feel free to comment on the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

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**Keldeo and the Spirit of Winter**

Chapter 1: The Boy in the Snow

The winter in Unova was especially harsh that year, and most of the Pokémon who lived in the mountains, with the exception of some very hardy individuals, had gone into hiding to get away from the biting cold. Humans, both casual sightseers and trainers, didn't come, instead choosing to stay in the nearby town where it was warm. This was usually welcomed by the Pokémon, as many of them found humans careless nuisances, but the chill made the quiet bittersweet, as the cold was too much for them, either. They crowded into the guts of their home, the caves and tunnels, huddling for warmth. Even predatory Pokémon were reluctant to hunt, as they needed the creatures that they usually considered prey to keep from freezing to death out in the open air. Winter wasn't usually like this. The handful of Pokémon species who usually liked wintry weather, such as Cryogonal and Vanilluxe, found themselves hiding away, for the sake of their young if not themselves.

To go out in this kind of storm was considered suicide, plain and simple madness. It was unholy weather, the kind that was only seen once a century or so at most, destroying crops and driving living things to move, hide, or face starvation and a very real possibility of freezing to death. It was the kind of weather that the Pokémon and people had never imagined dealing with themselves, an echo of long-ago ice ages and ancestral memories. Parents made sure that their children were indoors, worriedly checking the skies and their television screens to see if the system which hovered over northern Unova would move. As for the Pokémon living in the mountains, several hatchlings, unaware of the danger, had vanished into the snow.

There was some concern among the humans that the core of the storm, hovering over the Lacunosa area, was a sign of worse things - a pattern of increasing cold, possibly global, the start of a new ice age. Everything hinged on whether it would disappear with the spring - and it was already late February. Of course, the Pokémon didn't know or care about this. Their main concern was staying out of the bad weather, keeping warm, and getting enough to eat.

As such, the mountain peaks were completely empty of living things. Only snow could be seen, relentlessly pouring down on the rocks, which were now solid white. Any soil was frozen solid. Nothing, not even hardy weeds and moss, could grow there. At the rim of one particular mountain was a small pool, hidden in an aboveground forest, only found through a network of tunnels. Although a source of fresh water, no one came. There were too many dark legends associated with the wretched place. Even humans knew the stories about the terrible evil which lurked in the chasm.

The only thing considered worse than freezing to death was an encounter with the monster of the mountain.

The monster was an ancient thing, little-known and little understood, a powerful and malevolent beast whose power grew with the strength of the winter. Talk of it was starting up among the Pokémon. No one had ever seen it, of course, and anyone with a lick of sense preferred to keep it that way. It was every half-glimpsed shadow, the flash of a fang, eyes glowing in the dark. Pokémon mothers would terrify their children into staying inside the caves with stories of it.

No one could agree on what it looked like. To a mother Beartic and her cubs, it was a hulking shapeless thing with blazing eyes, lurking in the dark to eat up little ones who ran away from home. To a brood of Unfezant, it took the shape of an enormous three-eyed serpent which froze anything that touched it to stone and which could crawl up cliffs to find nests. The tales varied in its size, shape, abilities, number of appendages, choice of prey, and hiding place. It came from the sky in a meteorite, crept out of the pool, or crawled up from the earth like a hungry worm.

The one thing every one of the storytellers could agree on concerning the monster was that no one had seen it and lived.

Now, with the terrible winter on them, stories of the monster had begun to return to the Pokémon which lived in the mountains. Some particularly suspicious Pokémon began to attribute the weather to the mysterious creature. The monster was going to emerge from its lair one day, they said, to resume its reign of terror over the Pokémon and people of Lacunosa Town. The storm was a sign that the evil at the cavern's core was slowly waking up, regaining control over its powers.

The worst rumors claimed that the creature was already fully awake, already hungry and enraged, seeking its revenge against the Pokémon of the mountains and the humans of the town. Soon it would become so starved that it would begin to feed off of them just as it had in the old times.

Most dismissed this as superstition or a warning against visiting the lake, but eventually rumors reached the right ears. The three Sacred Swordsmen, old and powerful spirits who watched over Unova's Pokémon, heard of the possibility of the monster's rising.

Cobalion the Ironhearted was the oldest and wisest of the trio of spirits, their appointed leader. Verizion the Meadowrunner was the fastest on open land, and Terrakion the Stonehorned was the most physically powerful. Together they fought to protect Pokémon in the region, particularly those whose lives or homes were endangered by humans' carelessness. This embittered them towards people, more than any other Lesser Spirits - while they never harmed humans, they wouldn't go out of their way to help one, either. The Swordsmen viewed humans as naturally selfish and reckless towards other living things and the environment, the very things that Cobalion and his two brothers had been assigned in the First Days to protect.

The three had known for some time what was happening to the weather, and they were concerned. While they didn't want to draw attention to themselves in front of the humans, it was key that they discover the truth behind what was going on. Unlike the storytellers and the modern townsfolk, they had faced the monster in the past and knew what they could be dealing with.

That was why they didn't come to the cursed mountain themselves, but sent the young Apprentice Swordsman, Keldeo, who they had raised for four hundred years as their own. Keldeo was fast, spirited, and always eager to prove himself to his mentors, since he had no family of his own kind. Immortality had its perks, but both he and they strongly suspected that he was now the last of his species in the world. His assignment was to search the cliffs for the ancient demon and brave the endless winter, reporting back to Cobalion anything suspicious that he found.

The Pokémon there knew him. He had come before, rescuing hatchlings and saving families from natural disasters. Like his three teachers, Keldeo was their hero, famous for his courage and skill in battle. If anyone could face down the winter beast, it was him. They paid him his due respects and shrank back as the good spirit approached. With a grunt, the equine Pokémon jumped, catching a delicate grip on the mountainside. He stumbled briefly before gaining ground.

Although they usually helped him cross open water, Keldeo's hooves now allowed him to grip the rock through the ice. He shook his mane, clearing away snow, and gazed over the eerie landscape. He could see nothing but the furious blizzard and a maze of frozen rock. Springing over a log, he slowly made his way up the mountain, past cave openings and frightened eyes. He gave the unseen Pokémon a nod of assurance before continuing his journey.

_Don't worry. I'm here to take care of you. Whatever's causing this will answer to the Sacred Swordsmen and me._

As he climbed, there was less and less evidence of Pokémon inhabitants, and the slopes turned utterly lifeless. The bad weather was the strongest here; nothing could live or grow in these conditions. No Pokémon would bother to come, as there was nothing to eat and the snow was blinding. Keldeo could barely see, but he knew that he was a Swordsman spirit and struggled onward, cursing the blizzard every step of the way. The snow hit his fur so hard that it stung the skin underneath. As an immortal, he was immune to frostbite or hypothermia, but that didn't make exploring the deserted mountain pleasant.

He protected himself by hiding under ledges whenever he could, but eventually was forced out into the open air. There was no sign of anything, alive or not, outside of falling snow. Keldeo stood up, squinting. In the distance, there was something, a small, dark form lying still on the ground. To his shock, the Swordsman realized that the creature was a human. He raced forward, no longer noticing the storm, all thoughts of the monster of the mountain forgotten, rushing to its side. It was a boy, black-haired and roughly nine, wearing a ragged brown shirt and gray pants which would offer no protection in weather like this. He bowed his head. The poor creature couldn't be alive.

Cautiously he nudged the lifeless body with his horn, followed by a hoof, and was surprised to feel a weak pulse. The child was unconscious, but he lived. Keldeo reared in fright, but returned to investigate, curious and concerned.

"Well, then," he asked himself, "what to do with him? Lord Cobalion doesn't like humans, and would most likely leave this one here to die. He is trespassing." However, Keldeo could see that the boy was very sick. He wouldn't survive much longer in the cold, and to let him freeze would be wrong, no matter what the other Swordsmen thought. "But then again, I'm Keldeo, not Cobalion."

Keldeo carefully knelt, nudging the boy onto his back. He was still motionless, his fingertips and uncovered toes a pale blue. "What by the First Egg were you doing out here?" the young Swordsman wondered out loud. "This is no place for children, especially human children." There was no reply, and he rolled his eyes. He hadn't expected one. "All right, then, I'll get an answer if and when you wake up."

He couldn't take the boy into town - he was a Pokémon spirit, trained by three more powerful beings known to be hostile to people, and the other humans might think that he had abducted the child without giving him a chance to explain. He would have to look after his new charge until he got better, and until he could ask him where he came from and why he was out in the snow. After he was sure that the child was safe, Keldeo could guide him to Lacunosa Town, where he could find shelter and be returned to his own kind.

The youngest Swordsman got up, making sure that the human was securely mounted. The boy draped limply from his back, still seeming very ill. He would need medicine, and as the Apprentice Swordsman Keldeo knew the oldest and strongest remedies that nature had to offer. Once the boy was taken to Lacunosa, he could receive human medical care.

Shaking ice from his fur one last time with a sharp cry, Keldeo raced ahead and jumped down onto the slope, careful to check that his rider was still on his back. The descent was fortunately easy, although he had to check his grip on the stones and watch where he leapt. Humans were delicate creatures, and the one that he had was already badly hurt. While Keldeo could survive a fall with only minor injuries, the boy slumped over him most likely wouldn't.

With a bound, the Apprentice Swordsman landed squarely on his hooves, sniffing the air. Now he needed to find an enclave to hide from the storm, so that he could watch over the human child until he woke up. Narrowing his eyes, the young Pokémon spirit darted away, both he and his rider disappearing into the snow.


	2. Storytelling

**Keldeo and the Spirit of Winter**

Chapter 2: Storytelling

After clearing the mountain, Keldeo managed to find an enclave close to its base, shielded from the snow by a short ledge. He laid the boy down underneath it. Fortunately, outside of the frostbite, he seemed unhurt, and no bones were broken. The Apprentice Swordsman didn't want to leave him alone for too long, not in the winter, but he knew where a protected grove of Aspear Berries was growing close by. Going over to collect them would only take a couple of minutes, and they could be used to treat freezing when smashed and the juice applied to the affected area. Pokémon knew about the properties of some Berries, and humans seemed aware of them, although they seemed to prefer to use their own medicine on themselves. Cobalion had shown Keldeo all of the Berries in Unova's forests - the ones that were good to eat, the ones which had the power to heal injuries and cure sickness, and the ones that were bitter and vile-tasting. He had taught the Apprentice Swordsman well, and now Keldeo was putting his skills to use.

He sprinted past the mountainside, hooves clearing the land and making marks on the snow. The Berry Trees were, fortunately, still there, and Keldeo picked three off, still on the branch. They were Aspear Berries, all right, judging from their yellow color, thick hide, and the green ring-shaped markings on the skin. Aspear Berries weren't usually for eating - the sour taste in their juice was strong - but were powerful medicine when ground to a paste, although their properties took some time to activate. They would be able to treat the boy's frostbite. With the bad weather, Berries near Lacunosa Town were becoming harder and harder to find, one of the things which had provoked Cobalion and the other Sacred Swordsmen to act. Taking care of the forests was one of their most important tasks as guardians.

Keldeo stopped outside of the ledge, checking that the Berries were securely on the branch. To his relief, they were. Their tough shell made Aspear Berries one of the sturdiest kinds, and gave them some resistance to the winter. They had been one of the last trees to die off in the open air.

A quick blast of water cleaned Keldeo's hooves, and he reentered the enclave. The boy was still there, and still outwardly lifeless. The earth close to him was moist from the snow that was on his body melting away. Keldeo came closer, putting down the branch and picking the Berries off, placing them on the ground and smashing them to a yellow, fleshy paste with his hooves. He ensured that no bits of paste had fallen during the process before picking the partly-solid meat of the fruits up in his mouth. He cautiously approached the human, who didn't move.

"Look," Keldeo said through the Berries, his voice muffled. "I've got medicine. You'll get better now." Still nothing, but a quick test showed that his charge was weak but alive. His skin was still pale and clammy from the moisture. "This may sting, but it's for the best." The boy's fingers and toes were the worst, so that was where the Apprentice Swordsman decided to apply treatment. His hooves made it difficult, but he rubbed the Berry juice onto the damaged extremities, one at a time, first the feet and then the hands. It was a slow process, but important to get right. Fortunately, his patient was unconscious, so he wouldn't cry out or struggle when the stinging started, a sign that the medicine was starting to work.

When he had finished rubbing in the Aspear Berries, he stood back and watched. In some time, the young spirit heard a groan of slight pain. His head snapped up at once and he darted to the boy's side. He was finally waking up, from the sound of it because of the medicine's side effects. He didn't seem to notice the Pokémon at first, instead focusing on the yellow goo that covered his hands.

"What is this?" he muttered, and gestured to brush the stuff off.

"Don't!" instructed Keldeo, his voice echoing in the crevice. "That's medicine. Your hands and feet are affected by frostbite, and I added Aspear Berries to help heal them. I know it hurts, but that's good. It means that the paste is doing its job."

"I wish it didn't - ow! - _sting_ so much." The boy winced, briefly frowning. Then, at last, he realized that a Pokémon was speaking to him. "Hang on a moment. Who are you? How did I get here?"

Keldeo knelt on the ground, tossing his mane. "I was about to ask you the same thing. I'm Keldeo, apprentice to the three Sacred Swordsmen who watch over Unova. And you are?"

With another short cry, the human leaned back against the stone wall to brace himself. "My name is Aisu. I've always lived on the mountain, although I don't have a home or a family there. I could call it my home, I guess. You can talk?"

"All of the Swordsmen can talk to humans. We had to deal with them a long time ago, during a terrible war in a darker period of Unova's history, when the early leaders of this region became greedy, cruel, selfish and violent. Before the spirits of truth and ideals came and brought peace to the world by settling the dispute, many people and Pokémon lost their homes, lives, and families to the fighting. Including me."

"You're an orphan?" Aisu asked, curious, holding back another flinch of pain, and Keldeo thought for a moment before answering.

"I am by now, but as far as I know my parents didn't die in the war. During one of the humans' battles, the moor where I lived caught fire, and a burning log cut me off from my family. I cried out for help, but they couldn't see me behind the smoke and ran away to save their own lives, assuming I'd been lost. I gave up hope, but my call for help got to the three Swordsmen, who are sworn to aid all Pokémon in need. Terrakion butted the log away while Virizion helped me onto Cobalion's back, and together we escaped from the destroyed moorlands."

"What happened to your parents after that?"

"They either couldn't get away or moved. Virizion searched all of Unova for them, but I never saw them again. The three Swordsmen agreed to look after me instead, and as a reward for my bravery made me immortal, letting me study to become one of them. I've been taught by Cobalion and his brothers for four hundred years now, learning how to use water attacks and tactics for survival. They think my training's almost finished." Keldeo gestured with a hoof. "Now, then, when morning comes I'll be taking you to Lacunosa Town for proper medical care. For you to be alone in those mountains like that is extremely dangerous, especially during the worst blizzard in a hundred years! You could've frozen to death!"

"I told you," Aisu repeated, "I've always lived on the mountain."

"Not during a winter like this, you haven't," growled Keldeo. "That particular mountain is no place for humans, even in good weather. Don't you know about the monster?"

Aisu's expression was a complete blank, and for the first time the young spirit saw that the boy's eyes were a light turquoise, the color of ice. Aisu blinked once, then again. "What monster? I've never seen anything there."

"You haven't heard the legend of the monster of the mountain? All of the humans and Pokémon around here know that story. That's why Lacunosa Town has a wall around it, so that it doesn't get in! That's why I'm here. If I find and defeat the monster, Cobalion will make me a Sacred Swordsman for sure!"

Aisu suddenly perked up, smiling cheerfully. Apparently the Aspear Berries had stopped hurting him, if his energetic behavior was any indication. Beneath the paste, his fingers and toes had returned somewhat to their usual, healthy coloration. Keldeo would have expected the weather to have more of an effect. "Tell me the story, Keldeo. It sounds exciting, and I like to hear old stories. You told me the one about your parents."

Keldeo sighed, swishing his tail with an air of mild frustration. This human was certainly a talkative one now that he'd woken up a bit. "All right, then, I'll tell you one more story. Then I'll get you some food before we go into Lacunosa Town in the morning."

"Why are we going to the town? My home is on the mountain."

"Because you're sick and need medical care from your own kind. You might have injuries that I can't heal." Keldeo scraped his hooves against the stone. "Besides, you're a human being. You belong with other humans. I can't take care of you - my masters wouldn't let me. They wouldn't approve of my looking after a human."

"Go ahead, then. Tell me the story about the monster!" Aisu smiled again, and Keldeo wondered if the child had even heard him. "All right, then, if you promise to get some rest. We'll be leaving in the morning. The storm tends to weaken temporarily then, so we can get moving before it turns bad again." The human nodded jerkily, asking Keldeo to begin.

"All right, then. This is the most common version, although there are others. A long time ago, there was no wall around Lacunosa Town, and the people and Pokémon there would come and go whenever they wanted. It was a peaceful place, untouched by war or famine, and the harvests were good. One day, however, a stone came from the sky and drove a hole in the land close to town, making a deep pit. No one noticed at first. Some people even came close to the pit to get a closer look at it. As it turned out, this was a terrible mistake. All the same, all of the living things around the hole were unafraid.

Unafraid, that is, until something crawled out of the stone; alive, furious, and very hungry. No one can remember what it looked like, but what is known is that the creature was a terror to Pokémon and people alike. It would take children who wandered away at night back to its cave as food, ravage Pokémon who made the mistake of nesting too close to it, and, when it was feeling especially bold, come into Lacunosa in the dark and eat people who wandered the town's streets. No one knew what to do. Some brave humans occasionally gathered together, planning to kill the evil in its den, but none of them came back. Finally, the humans built a wall around the city to discourage attacks. At the same time, my masters, the Sacred Swordsmen, had heard of the destruction and came to fight the monster together to save the Pokémon of the valley from the predator. This time, they were successful, and the injured creature retreated into the mountain, never to be seen again."

Aisu looked up, eyes bright but expression confused. "I don't understand. I've lived here for my whole life, and never seen any trace of a monster. It's just a scary story to keep people from leaving the town at night."

"I'd like to think that," Keldeo admitted, "but Master Cobalion told me that it was the truth, and I have to believe him. He and his brothers fought it in the pit and saved everyone."

"But why did they have to fight it? It came from far away, and couldn't go back home. It was probably lost and scared, too. Maybe it wanted to be left alone. They didn't ask it why it was eating the Pokémon and the people. Maybe they could have made peace with it."

Keldeo stopped short. That was wrong, but he couldn't come up with a rebuttal. The Swordsmen hadn't tried to speak with the monster, as far as he knew. Then again, it was evil, and wouldn't have stopped if it had been addressed peacefully. Cobalion and the others hadn't had any choice but to fight the beast if they wanted to save the Pokémon of the valley and, although indirectly, the humans living in Lacunosa Town. Carrying off and devouring other living things was hardly the behavior of a poor, lost creature that only wanted a little peace and quiet. He looked out over the winter landscape, where he imagined that the monster lived, waiting for its return.

"I trust that Cobalion did the right thing. I agree that it's better to end things peacefully when we can, but sometimes we have to fight to protect the things we care about. That's what he taught me. One of the very first things that he said, actually, after I lost my parents in the fire. Pointless fighting is bad, and the humans were doing the wrong thing back then, but there are times when fighting is the right thing to do." Keldeo got up, nuzzling Aisu before he left the enclave again, this time to find some Berries for food and sticks to light a fire, instructing the boy to stay put.

When he returned, carrying several thick sticks and a twig with several fresh Oran Berries growing on it, he saw that Aisu had already fallen asleep, evidently not hungry. The Apprentice Swordsman put them down anyway, as they would need breakfast when morning came. He couldn't light a fire with his hooves, as he was a Water-type Pokémon. Instead, he walked back to the human child and lay down beside him. He watched over Aisu, his body's warmth alone giving them needed heat during the storm.


	3. The Walled City

**Keldeo and the Spirit of Winter**

Chapter 3: The Walled City

When morning came, Keldeo nudged Aisu awake with his horn, watching as the boy groaned and woke up, his eyes flickering open. He sat against the stone wall of the enclave, edging away from the Apprentice Swordsman cautiously. Keldeo gave a cheerful whinny to help brighten his spirits, and Aisu laughed raucously at the sight of the Pokémon spirit's behavior.

"You're funny," he told Keldeo with a grin. "You must've slept well. Sorry I couldn't stay up. I was really tired and didn't feel very well. Thought it would be better if we got some rest. You said that we were leaving for Lacunosa Town in the morning."

Keldeo snorted, scraping the floor. "You still don't want to go, probably. 'I've always lived on the mountain' and all that. We have no choice - we can't stay here forever, and we have to leave now while the snow has lightened a bit. You belong with your own people. The humans who live in Lacunosa will take care of you. I'll drop you off in a place you'll be found."

"What about you?" Aisu asked, concerned, brushing the red fur on Keldeo's head. "Will you be okay?"

"Yes, I will. I'm an immortal Pokémon spirit, and my three masters are very powerful. However, I'll have to leave to avoid any problems with the people. They might not understand that I saved you, and it would be better to avoid fighting them. We'll probably never meet again, I'm afraid, but if we do I hope it's on good terms."

Aisu shakily stood up, shaking himself. "I do, too. Thank you for saving me. Last night, when you went away, I thought for a bit, and I realized that you're right that I should go to the town. I mean, it's close by, and there are probably good doctors there who can help anything that your berry paste from last night didn't fix. Doctors for people, not Pokémon. And, well, before we go I'd like to thank you for saving me yesterday. I can't remember anything from before you found me. I was out on the mountain and woke up with you." He sighed softly. "I wish I could give you proper thanks, but I don't have any family or home outside of where you found me. I don't have anything to give, either."

"Oh, that's all right. I didn't have anything in mind but saving your life when I found you, either. I'm glad I did, though. I'll just have to keep you a secret from Cobalion and the others. They don't trust people. I don't think they'd harm you, but they wouldn't like that I protected you, either."

"That war you mentioned last night sounded terrible. No wonder they don't trust people anymore. Did anything ever grow again on those moorlands where you grew up?"

Keldeo lowered his head. "Yes, although it took a long time for life to come back after the fire. The plants started to return, and then the Pokémon followed. Now even humans come to visit, although it still isn't as lush as it was before. To their credit, the early people were sorry for what they had done after they came to their senses, and they helped to restore the wetlands." He bounded over to the right side of the enclave, where he had left the Oran Berries. He checked that they were still fresh before bringing the branch to Aisu.

"What are those?" the little boy asked curiously, brushing the small blue fruits as if unsure what they were.

"They're Oran Berries. Don't worry, they're safe to eat, and they don't taste as bad as Aspear Berries do. I know it's not much, but it'll do before we leave." Keldeo nudged the branch forward, offering them to Aisu. "Go on. We'll be leaving soon."

Aisu nervously picked the berries off, eating them one at a time. "These are good. They taste like nothing I've ever had before."

"You've never had Berries?" Keldeo was surprised. "I know they're more popular with Pokémon than people, but even people use them in recipes and the like."

Aisu shook his head, but didn't say anything more than "They're the best thing I've eaten in a long time. Once you take me to Lacunosa Town, I'll have to find more."

"What did you eat, then? There can't be much food out on the mountain." Keldeo was puzzled - the only things that a human could eat there were moss and some kinds of nut, none of which were able to sustain one for long. If those were all Aisu had been able to eat, he'd have expected the boy to be much sicklier and more starved than he was, if he would even survive.

Still eating, Aisu shrugged and turned to face Keldeo. "Well, should we go soon? You said yourself that the weather will get bad soon, and I'd like to go before it starts up again. Is the town close by?"

"Not very close, but close enough." Keldeo checked the storm from outside the enclave. It wasn't blinding any more, and was still thicker than usual, but he felt that he could make it to Lacunosa Town if he went quickly enough and the weather didn't turn violent before he arrived. "We can make it by foot in time, but we'll have to move fast."

Aisu stood beside the Apprentice Swordsman. "By foot? Won't that take too long?"

"You're forgetting something," Keldeo reminded him with a wink. "I'm a Pokémon spirit and a Sacred Swordsman in training. As such, I can run faster than most other Pokémon, especially when I have to. Just promise that you'll hold on tight while you're riding me, no matter how quickly I go or how frightened you get. And never let go of my fur until we stop."

"All right. I promise." Aisu's expression firmed and he draped a thin arm over Keldeo's cream-colored neck. "Are you ready to go? I certainly am." He offered a brave little smile; Keldeo, although he found the child strange, admired his pluck and curiosity. "I'm up for it."

The Apprentice Swordsman matched the grin, kneeling. "What are we waiting for, then? Get on my back, and we'll be off." With another jerky nod, Aisu obeyed, settling behind Keldeo's back. The young Swordsman grimaced as he imagined what Cobalion would think of what he was about to do. First he'd saved a human, then taken care of it, and was now about to let it ride him. He reassured himself that this was only a temporary thing, better than letting Aisu freeze to death or wander around lost on the mountain, and neither Cobalion nor the other Sacred Swordsmen had to know anything about it. After dropping off Aisu in Lacunosa Town for medical care, he could return to hunting the monster as if nothing had happened.

With a quick glance back to check that his rider was secure, Keldeo burst off, his powerful legs striking the ground and scarring the snow with hoofprints. Whenever faced by a log or fallen rock, he simply used a burst of water from his feet to clear the obstacle in a jump. Judging from the astonished gasp he heard, Aisu hadn't known about this power. Well, of course - he had been unconscious when Keldeo used it before.

"Keldeo! You can fly?"

"No," the Apprentice Swordsman explained breathlessly as he continued to run. "I can jump by blasting water from my hooves. That's how I climb mountains in the first place, although I usually use it to cross rivers. There's nowhere that I can't get to by jumping," he finished proudly. Of all of the powers granted to him by the Sacred Swordsmen, that was his favorite. Even when off duty, he enjoyed playing in the water with his magic, sprinting across streams and frightening fish Pokémon.

"Wow!" Aisu looked up, seeing the terrain change from frozen rocks to what must have been a forest, now deserted of most Pokémon and human life. Trees empty of leaves stood stark and brown, the ground still white with snow. In the center stood a small stone temple, beside a mossy statue of what looked like a Pokémon of some sort. In a way, it was beautiful, even Keldeo had to admit. Winter did have its proper place. It was only now, when it was refusing to give up its place, that it had changed into a problem. There was a river within a few yards, but Keldeo wouldn't be racing across it. It was frozen solid, as it had been for months. As his hooves made contact, the ice cracked and clattered, but held fast. The shell of ice covering the stream was too deep for him to break by running.

Instead, he halted, deciding to find some way to free the waters. There were probably Pokémon who needed a breathing hole or a place to hide, such as the Basculin who usually flourished in running rivers. With his rider still on his back, Keldeo tried a different technique, spraying a stream of boiling water from his mouth. The Scald attack melted some of the ice away, but only thinned the shell. He reared, striking with all of his strength, and this time managed to break through.

The river erupted, and, satisfied with his work, Keldeo sprinted away. The good deeds that being a guardian spirit required always left him fulfilled. The water would freeze up again, no doubt, but he'd given the Pokémon who lived there the chance to taste fresh air, however briefly. The Basculin, although hardy survivors and more tolerant of harsh conditions than other Pokémon, naturally slowed down their metabolisms in cold water. Therefore, they would most likely live for a while yet.

He cleared the forest in a matter of bounds, entering a plain that, a summertime ago, had been coated by grass. Now only snow could be seen, a pale blanket that spread half a foot above the ground and made walking difficult. Keldeo's powers worked well on liquid water, but not so well in the snow, and he had too little time to clear his way with another Scald. Besides, the falling snow would make it pointless. He simply tried his best to run across, using his hooves to occasionally burst through an especially tough patch.

Aisu whispered in his ear, "It looks like the mountain."

Keldeo agreed grimly, bounding over a snapped branch. "You were alone on the mountain during the worst storm Unova's had in over a hundred years. That wasn't smart by any standard. Tell me you won't go back until the weather clears up." He wondered why he was asking this, but it was an easy question. He knew that he wanted to make sure Aisu didn't go wandering back and get himself killed anyway. There wouldn't have been any point in saving him if he did.

"I won't, I promise. I'll stay in the town if you say so."

"Good. It isn't far now." Keldeo sprang on top of a small hill, where he could see the walls of the town in the distance. "See? There it is."

"That's a town? It has walls like a castle." Aisu got off of the Pokémon swordsman's back to see for himself. "Those are supposed to keep the monster out, right?"

"Yes, although I'd guess that it didn't come back because the Sacred Swordsmen beat it so badly. If the rumors are true and it's coming back, they'll most likely return to battle it again, and this time I'll help them." The last part was spoken proudly. "Then I'll be a real hero and a Sacred Swordsman myself. Cobalion will have me swear the oath and I'll be an equal to him and his brothers. A guardian for the Pokémon of Unova. Right now, I'm in training. To become a real Swordsman, I have to prove my strength and bravery to my three masters."

Turning, Aisu squinted. "By fighting the monster?"

"If I have to, yes. That'll be enough proof, I'm sure, for them."

"It must be very strong if the people had to build a wall to keep it out." He folded his arms. "It must've been pretty bad. Are you sure you want to fight it?"

Keldeo winced and snapped, "Thanks for the encouragement, kid."

To be honest, he wasn't looking forward to the battle, but he had to be brave. Being a Sacred Swordsman meant facing your fears. It was all right to be afraid, but fear had to be controlled. That was another of the lessons that his mentors had taught him. Besides, he'd have Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion fighting alongside him, and they were stronger spirits than he. With their help, he was sure that he could defeat the creature.

Aisu seemed embarrassed, climbing back onto Keldeo meekly. "Sorry. Didn't mean that. What do you say that we go into the town now?"

"Not a bad idea. You're learning." Keldeo twitched an ear cheerfully before tensing. "Now, hold on tight." Aisu nooded, and the horselike Pokémon spirit burst ahead with a spray of water from his hooves. He avoided the road, sticking to the snow, but saw that the humans had been clever enough to plow a path. Whatever their faults, they were cunning creatures. No one was out on the route, though. Usually the people of Lacunosa Town only refused to come out at night, for tradition's sake, but with the cold weather its population must have decided that staying within the walls was safer.

This made Keldeo's job a little easier. He came to a stop outside of the open gateway to the town, which gaped invitingly. He let Aisu off of his back, the two looking through into Lacunosa. There were people, although none of them bothered to look outside, wandering the streets and standing beside buildings. There were even a few children playing in the snow and having snowball fights. Keldeo felt a snowball strike his withers - apparently Aisu was learning a few tricks. He shook it off and gave a quick glare. The sooner he could stop playing babysitter, the better.

"All right, then, it's time for you to go. Through the gate." Keldeo gestured into the town with a hoof. The human boy didn't move, and Keldeo groaned. "I can't follow you. See, I'm not supposed to go any farther. People could see me, and I can't have that."

"But -"

"I can't pass the gate. You can go on without me." The Apprentice Swordsman swished his tail, annoyed. "What's gotten into you? You said that you were fine with this plan before."

Aisu looked into Keldeo's eyes, his expression worried. "I'm scared."

"Don't be! The people in that town are of your own kind. You'll be safer with them than you are with me. Now, go on. Into the city. You're well enough to walk, so you can find a doctor to fix you up."

The human boy stood to his full height, his head barely reaching the top of Keldeo's horn. "All right, I'll have to be brave, then. Like you."

"You know, Aisu," Keldeo remarked, half joking, "you're one strange kid." The boy nodded with a nervous jerk and, with one last hopeful glance towards Keldeo, walked through the gate and into the town. As soon as he crossed the threshold, Keldeo smiled and turned around. "Well, that's him taken care of. Back to the mountain, then."

He broke into a gallop, quickly reaching the snowy forest, noticing with some alarm that the air was beginning to grow colder, and the snow falling harder. The storm was returning. The shrine that he had seen earlier was still there, the moss gone. He didn't recognize the stone Pokémon that was placed beside it, and approached to get a better look.

The statue's shape was humanoid, but only vaguely, wearing gray stone shoes and a carved dress. Its flowing hair gave it a vaguely feminine appearance. It was probably a powerful guardian spirit which the shrine had been built to honor. It looked as if it was hundreds of years old. He was young by Lesser Spirit standards, and wasn't old enough to be considered a member of the Pokémon spirits' Council, but knew most of Unova's legends by heart. Even he was unfamiliar with the creature whose image decorated the shrine.

Keldeo turned away, wondering why the guardian hadn't come to protect the forest yet. The task must have been left to the three Sacred Swordsmen and their apprentice, then. He passed the shrine, slightly disturbed by the eerie silence of the forest. There were no bird Pokémon singing or Patrat scurrying in the grass. It was sad to see a place usually so bright turned lifeless. The only thing that moved was the snow, falling relentlessly from the sky and burying everything in a tomb of white.

Being in the deserted land alone was a sobering experience, and one that reminded Keldeo how serious the situation was. If the endless winter didn't stop, the whole of Unova might become like the forest, frozen and empty of life. He was so involved in thinking that he didn't notice the flash of blue fur that darted in the snow, landing squarely at his back. Hearing the thump, Cobalion turned, seeing a familiar Pokémon by his side.

It was large and powerfully built, its four legs stronger even than Keldeo's. Its fur was the color of a clear sky, except for a mass of white, almost like a beard, beneath its light blue head and spots of black that marked its body. Two twisted yellow horns stretched out from its head, tapering to dangerous points. Three yellow spines jutted from its front legs, while its tail was stiff and the same color as its face. These legs turned gray where they met the hooves, making the Pokémon look like it was wearing boots. Its expression was firm.

Cobalion the Ironhearted, lord of the Sacred Swordsmen, had come to the forest.

Keldeo smiled on seeing his master and foster father, but his expression changed to worry when he saw that Cobalion seemed angry. The older spirit glowered at his apprentice.

_He couldn't have figured it out already, could he? How does he know that I helped a human?_

Cobalion cleared his throat, his eyes turning firm. "What are you doing here? Your orders were to search the mountain, not the forest. You disobeyed me. Explain yourself!"


	4. Return of the Sacred Swordsmen

**Keldeo and the Spirit of Winter**

Chapter 4: Return of the Sacred Swordsmen

Keldeo struggled to hold back his fear. He didn't want to lie to Cobalion, but he needed to protect his human charge. With any luck he could manage to tell the truth without mentioning Aisu. Although furious already, Cobalion would be even angrier if he knew that Keldeo had helped a person. The Swordsmen weren't supposed to harm humans, as they were living things, but their rules forbade interfering with the world and ways of people. If Cobalion knew, that would set back Keldeo's goal of becoming a Sacred Swordsman himself, and he couldn't let that happen. Cobalion growled, prompting the younger Pokémon to answer quickly.

"I was searching the mountain. There's nothing out of the ordinary there. Just snow and rocks, and the local Pokémon didn't have anything to report, either. I decided to search the forest instead, in case I'd have better luck, but I didn't notice anything strange." Keldeo hoped that his mentor wouldn't notice how nervous he was, or the slight stutter in his voice. He hated seeming weak in front of Cobalion - it wasn't very Sacred Swordsman-like to be as cowardly as he probably sounded. All the same, the ancient guardian of Unova was imposing even by Pokémon spirit standards, especially to Keldeo, one of the lowest of the Lesser Spirits.

"And what about the monster of the mountain?" Cobalion asked, his expression softening slightly, to Keldeo's relief. "Did you see any trace of it?"

Keldeo shook his head. "No. There wasn't any sign of any kind of monster. If you ask me, it doesn't exist. It's just a story."

"No, it's not. I don't know if it has returned or not, but there is a monster. My two brothers and I fought it centuries ago, before you joined us, to save the Pokémon who lived close to Lacunosa Town."

"Then tell me about it. What did it look like?"

Cobalion coughed, drawing Keldeo's fullest attention. "This is off topic, but you're old enough to know. It was something like the High Spirits of ideals and truth, who know how all things really are and what they have the potential to become. Reshiram is the spirit of truth, who knows the ways of people and Pokémon and who can see inside the hearts of living things. Zekrom teaches what all things could be if they worked to their fullest to do good in this world. However, where they brought enlightenment and understanding, their counterpart only understood emptiness and destruction. An enormous dragonlike beast, with power over ice and snow, although it never showed the abilities of speech or reason."

"So that's why the Pokémon think it's coming back. It had power over winter, then, like Zekrom controls lightning and Reshiram controls fire. Does it have a name?"

Cobalion growled softly. "It has one, although we don't like to use it. There are all kinds of nameless evil creatures that live in this world's darker corners, but this one was bolder than most, and earned a name. We call it Kyurem, the Winter Demon. In some ways it is like one of the Pokémon spirits, although it was nothing but evil. When we defeated Kyurem, we stripped it of its powers and trapped it in a form in which it could cause no harm, trapping it on the mountain."

Keldeo's heart sank as he had a disturbing realization. He had done the right thing in leading Aisu off the mountain, hadn't he? "What kind of form did you change it into?"

"We don't remember very well, as this was many years ago, but there is no way that the creature could break the spell unless it was taken away from the mountain. As long as its powers are taken away, it is harmless and will stay that way." Cobalion added, "Why do you ask? I thought that you didn't see anything unusual. Did you? Tell me the truth." The old Pokémon's eyes narrowed slightly.

Keldeo now felt physically ill. Now he understood why Aisu had seemed so strange, and why the boy had claimed that he lived on the mountain despite his young age and lack of a family or home, even why he had been so curious about the story of the monster. It seemed unlikely, but maybe he had, instead of saving a life, accidentally released the ancient Winter Demon from its prison. If so, he had just doomed Lacunosa Town and the nearby valley to Kyurem's depredations. But if his suspicions were wrong, he would be betraying Aisu and wasting his mentors' time.

"Keldeo? Is something wrong?" Cobalion sounded more worried than angry now. The Apprentice Swordsman nodded weakly. If Aisu was innocent, he reasoned, Cobalion and the Swordsmen would see that and leave him alone. If he didn't tell, the Pokémon and people in Lacunosa Town could be in terrible danger.

"I'll tell the truth, but you have to believe me. I think I've made a terrible mistake. On the mountain -"

"Yes?" Cobalion gestured with a hoof. "Carry on, if this is so serious and concerns you so much."

"On the mountain, I found a human boy, with grayish-blue eyes and black hair, half frozen to death in the cold. I felt sorry for him and saved him, taking him off the mountain for shelter and mending his injuries. When he got well again, I took him to Lacunosa Town so that he could get medical treatment from the humans."

"You know that helping a human is against the code of the Sacred Swordsmen. But why are you so worried about -"

"I think that the boy was the monster, Kyurem, in disguise. It tricked me into leading it off of the mountain and taking it to Lacunosa Town. You said that you trapped it in a harmless form. Was that form a human? A black-haired one, about nine years old, with blue eyes?"

Cobalion froze, calling back the memory. "I will have to check with my brothers, as I am not sure, but I believe we did choose a human. Something that would reflect its destructive nature to us and make sure that we would never take pity on it. Our rules exist for a reason, Keldeo. If you did what you claim to have done, you did indeed make a terrible mistake."

Keldeo shrank back, both afraid for Aisu if he was wrong and for Unova if he was right. "We have to fix it. It isn't too late. Maybe Kyurem still hasn't learned that it has its powers back, and we can stop it before it attacks the town."

Cobalion nodded gloomily, stiffening to run. "I have to alert the other Sacred Swordsmen. You have broken the code, Keldeo, and your foolishness may have put this region's Pokémon in danger. Come with me before you do something else."

Keldeo sighed, deeply ashamed of himself and his actions. "Yes, Master Cobalion." Cobalion gave a stern jerk of his head before bolting away in another streak of blue fur, Keldeo struggling to keep up. He now felt positively sick, not easy for an immortal Pokémon spirit. Cobalion was disappointed in him. He had seen the betrayed expression in his teacher's eyes. He only wanted to do good, and instead he had unleashed an unspeakable evil. He cursed Aisu - the child wasn't a child, but a demon, who had deceived him into breaking the Code of the Swordsmen and letting him loose on a city of victims. Keldeo had unwittingly restarted the monster's reign of terror. He would be amazed if Cobalion ever forgave him. At the very least he could help correct his mistake and aid the Swordsmen as they battled the creature.

The Ironheated One stopped outside an enclosed glen, protected by the magic of the three Sacred Swordsmen and one of the few places in northern Unova that were not completely snowed in. He gave a roar that made Keldeo's ears ring, an alarm call, signaling the other two to come and join him. Fortunately, he didn't have long to wait. Terrakion and Verizion came when they were summoned, under the oath of the Sacred Swordsmen, a command to view the other guardian spirits as friends, allies, and family members.

Virizion the Meadowrunner emerged first from a growth of protected trees, still lush and green. His fur was as green as the grass, his horns dull and curled, although this was no handicap for him in battle. His back legs were tan, and his feet ended in light green, bootlike hooves with black tips. On his neck was a long green petal with a pink end. Of the three brothers, he was the fastest when running and the most cautious about starting a fight. His area of concern was the forests and meadows, which both on duty and in his free time he would speed across on his slender limbs. He was very proud of his running abilities and quick reflexes, which had earned him his title. He was the one of the three who was the most kindly to Keldeo, gentle where the others were strict. Many times Keldeo had gone to Virizion when he was worried or tired.

Following along behind was Terrakion the Stonehorned, the sturdiest and bulkiest of the Sacred Swordsmen. Naturally laid-back and mellow, he was also the Swordsman with the quickest temper. His long, thick brown horns allowed him to burst through almost any material, natural or man-made, without injuring himself in the process. His body was thick, gray, and muscular, his feet dark hooves. His forehead was rounded and black, while his striped underbelly was light, the same color as the patterned bands on his short but firm legs. Terrakion's area of protection was Unova's caverns and hidden places, where he spent much of his time. In his younger days, he had carved many of those tunnels out himself with his horns. He taught Keldeo when Cobalion was surveying Unova, firm but never unfairly harsh.

"Greetings, Master Cobalion," began Virizion with a bow. "And you, too, Keldeo." He paused when he saw Keldeo's worried expression. "What's wrong? Why was the alarm given?"

"Tell us what the matter is," snapped Terrakion, scraping the ground with a hoof. "It's been a while since we've had something to try our strength against."

Cobalion approached the duo, Keldeo following anxiously. "Tell them what you've done," ordered Cobalion, a note of cold anger in the order. "Tell them. The sooner you do, the sooner it can be set right."

Keldeo began, trembling. He didn't need Virizion and Terrakion upset with him, too, but he had to obey Cobalion. "I think I freed the monster of the mountain."

"What monster?" asked Virizion, curious but worried, noticing the terror and shame in Keldeo's voice. The Meadowrunner had strong instincts and could sense that something was wrong.

"Tell them," repeated Cobalion firmly, and Keldeo managed with some effort to choke out a name.

"K - Kyurem."

At this the pair of guardians froze, their formerly calm expressions turning to horror. They knew the name of the creature all too well. "What?" Virizion shot Terrakion a look. "But it was sealed away! How did you set it free?"

"It took the shape of a human boy and I found it in the snow and helped it get well again, if it was even sick in the first place. Then I took it into Lacunosa Town to get help from the humans." Keldeo lowered his head, utterly repelled and disgusted with himself. "But I don't understand. I thought I was doing the right thing. I had the best intentions."

Virizion reminded him, "It isn't as easy as that. Sometimes terrible things are done selflessly and with good in mind, but that doesn't change that the actions themselves are wrong, just as the right thing can be done for completely selfish reasons. You were selfless in saving the boy, but you were also foolish and judged by appearances."

"I'm sure that not all humans are bad, Virizion," Keldeo told the Meadowrunner.

"That wasn't his point," Terrakion chipped in. "Her point is, you broke the code of the Sacred Swordsmen. We are not supposed to interfere with the world of humans. You disobeyed us. Whether humans are good or bad is irrelevant. That 'boy' wasn't even human, but the Winter Demon disguised as one." He gritted his teeth in a fierce smile. "Just as well. I was itching for something to fight. Our ancient enemy is as good as anything else."

"We'll have to act quickly," Virizion told Cobalion, who stood by silently. "It could still be weak. While it's still in a weakened form, we can travel to the humans' settlement and destroy it while we still have the chance."

"Destroy it?" Keldeo repeated. Even if the creature was evil, he didn't think that it deserved to be killed, especially thinking of it in the form of a child.

"Yes." Cobalion spoke up again, his eyes still boring into Keldeo's and making the young spirit feel uncomfortably self-aware. "As you yourself said, its innocent face is nothing but a façade, a lie. It should be dealt with right away, before it begins feeding on the town again. Now that it is free from the mountain, it can take its old body back. It can't access the rest of its powers, since we took those from it after the first battle. The monster can't borrow the abilities of the spirits of truth and ideals, since their relics are locked away. Therefore, it should be relatively weak for now and we can win against it."

"It will be a hard battle." Terrakion looked around, as if rallying the others. "However, if we strike now, it will be unprepared and outnumbered."

"That's excellent news! If you can get rid of it..." Keldeo's trembling was now excitement rather than fear. He might be able to redeem himself in his masters' eyes yet. "Take me with you, Cobalion. You'll have a better chance with four against one."

Cobalion turned, the flash of his eyes silencing the Apprentice Swordsman. "No. You have disobeyed us twice, and are too foolhardy to be relied on in a battle as serious as this one. As your punishment for starting this in the first place, you will stay in this glen until we return from our battle with the Winter Demon."

Keldeo's heart sank as he realized what his master meant. A Swordsman kept the oath and respected their code, and he had broken it. Cobalion was taking away his chance to become a Sacred Swordsman. He knew that he was being selfish even as he turned and fled into the bushes, unable to stand the wounded looks in his teachers' eyes. They made him feel like the frightened baby Pokémon that he had been, before he gained his immortality and powers. The powers that he didn't deserve.

He had ruined everything, and Cobalion wouldn't even let him set things right.

Let alone losing his chance now, he didn't ever deserve to be an equal to Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion. At heart he was as immature and impulsive as he had been when the three had rescued him from the burning moorlands. Despite his four hundred years of age, he was little more than a child. Hiding from them, he could hear their voices as they planned to fix what he had done. They were taking their time doing it, too. If they wanted to fight the monster so badly, they should have left some time ago.

Poking his head out from the bushes, Keldeo began to grow bored. Were they delaying on purpose just to make him feel even sorrier for himself? As he watched, an idea began to creep into his mind, slowly but surely. Perhaps it wasn't too late to do something to redeem himself after all. If his masters were too busy arguing, and the monster was weak, he could go to Lacunosa Town himself to defeat Kyurem. After that, Cobalion would respect him again, and he could still become a Sacred Swordsman.

_Wait_, he thought. This was precisely the same kind of impulsive thinking which had gotten him into this mess in the first place. Then again, he had little left to lose and, since he had caused the trouble, it would only be suitable that he face the beast. Kyurem had tricked him. He wanted to confront the monster and teach it not to interfere with the Sacred Swordsmen. If he won, he might win his mentors' trust.

He had betrayed the law of the Sacred Swordsmen. Therefore, it was his task to heal it, even if it meant disobeying Cobalion and escaping his punishment. He turned away, his wide eyes steeling with a new determination. It wasn't too late to make amends and correct his mistake. He could become one of the sacred guardians in good time.

A Sacred Swordsman faced his fears. A Sacred Swordsman never ran away from a challenge, however frightening. Right now, Keldeo was facing the most important challenge of his life - facing down the Winter Demon and saving Lacunosa Town from the legendary monster. He was four hundred years old, his main experience in combat friendly sparring with his three mentors and foster parents. All the same, he felt that he was ready to take on Kyurem in a life-or-death fight. The monster was weakened significantly without its power to take on aspects of Reshiram and Zekrom, and his foster parents had shown him all kinds of attacks to use, some of which he had experimented with and found new uses for.

Trying his best to avoid his teachers, Keldeo sprinted out of the enchanted glen, where the winter was again strong and fierce. For once, the Apprentice Swordsman didn't care. This was his chance to prove himself in a real battle. He'd be a true guardian of Unova yet.

As snow and ice covered the forest in a deadly white sheet, the horselike Pokémon bolted past the stripped trees, making his way to Lacunosa Town and his battle with Kyurem.


	5. Aisu's Secret

**Keldeo and the Spirit of Winter**

Chapter 5: Aisu's Secret

Keldeo burst through the decaying forest, passing the frozen river on his way. This time, the cold weather didn't bother him in the least. He had a job to do as quickly as possible, and Cobalion would probably be on his tail after realizing that the younger Swordsman had slipped loose of his punishment. That was unlikely, Keldeo realized after some thought. Cobalion put duty first, and in this case duty meant fighting and killing Kyurem. This is precisely what Keldeo wanted to do, and his battling the Winter Demon was his last chance to redeem himself and become a true Sacred Swordsman.

He imagined all kinds of heroic scenarios - Kyurem might have Terrakon and Cobalion pinned, ready to unleash its powers or tear them to pieces, just in time for Keldeo to leap in to save his teachers and tilt the fight in their favor. He daydreamed that, after their age-old enemy was defeated, Cobalion and his two brothers would call him forward, impressed by his bravery, and have him take the Oath of the Sacred Swordsmen. Keldeo was almost looking forward to the battle; he had a score to settle with Kyurem, too.

The shrine and the humanoid statue beside it hadn't changed, except that the statue's head was now completely covered in snow. Keldeo found himself wondering if there was some way to communicate with the forest's guardian spirit for some help. After a while, he gave up on the idea. A stone guardian was little use, and he didn't know how to summon the flesh-and-blood creature if there even was one in the first place. He wished that he'd asked Cobalion what the being was and how powerful it could be. If the creature was a member of the Council, the Ironhearted might have even been able to make contact with it, and they would have an ally in the fight against the Winter Demon.

Keldeo, however, had been too brash and thoughtless, as usual. Not all of this could be blamed on the fact that he was a four-hundred-year-old spirit sealed in the body of a young Pokémon. Some of it had to be his nature, or he would have gotten out of it by now. He couldn't remember what he was like when he still lived with his parents. It was no easy task, being the last of his kind. He wondered if, in making Keldeo immortal, Cobalion had frozen his mind and spirit as well as his body.

At the same time he imagined what Kyurem's true form was like. He had a vague image of something enormous, scaly, and vaguely dragon-shaped, hands armed by deadly-sharp claws and a drooling mouth filled with hooked fangs. He knew what Zekrom and Reshiram looked like from descriptions - all three of his teachers, as members of the Council, met with the two great dragon spirits once a year to discuss matters of defending Unova. Reshiram was a vast white dragon, covered in soft feathers, its genteel nature covering a creature which held easily destructive power over fire. Zekrom, Reshiram's counterpart and twin, was thickly built and black, its glowing tail and crest a sign of its dominion of thunderstorms. Unlike most Pokémon spirits, they never chose a gender, since they claimed that each dragon held parts of one another. Ideals brought the drive to seek truth, while truth gave discipline to all who looked for ideals.

If Kyurem could use their aspects, it had to be the most powerful of all Dragon-type Pokémon. The thought of facing such a beast was not a happy one - Dragon-types, particularly the ones ranking with the Elementals and High Spirits, were among the strongest Pokémon types already. Kyurem, being a creature of ice itself, wouldn't share the group's usual weakness to cold.

Keldeo ran through what he knew about Kyurem itself. The creature was ancient, even older than Keldeo, and was a twisted version of the good spirits who taught truth and ideals. It was like them in shape, and could take their forms to some degree. Unlike them, however, it was pure evil. Kyurem only knew how to bring death and ruin everywhere it went, bringing cold weather as it preyed on settled towns and roads. It was too savage to be talked out of attacking or reasoned with at all. The only way that the Demon of Winter could be dealt with was by killing it.

Kyurem had already shown itself to be a deceitful creature. Even if the monster took or was still in its disguise as Aisu, Keldeo wouldn't be held back from doing his sacred duty. It wouldn't stay cute and harmless for long, and the fate of Lacunosa Town was at stake. He would do what he had to do, even if it meant killing Kyurem. He was uncomfortable with the idea of taking life, but Kyurem would feed on hundreds of Pokémon and humans unless it was dealt with, and the Swordsmen had shown the monster mercy before. They wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Even if this whole business still made him uncomfortable, he had a job to do. He had no choice if he wanted to make amends for releasing the creature in the first place. That made destroying Kyurem his job, if he could manage it. He just had to grit his teeth and remember that Aisu was only an illusion, a trick, covering a much less friendly creature with terrible powers and vicious teeth. If Kyurem still trusted him, that would make it even easier to get close to the monster and deal with it before it realized what he had come to do. He would make it quick and merciful if he could.

Even if Kyurem was pure evil, he didn't want the wretched thing to suffer.

It went against the very nature of a Sacred Swordsman, a being embodying justice and all that was good, to make any living creature feel more pain than was necessary. That was presumably why Cobalion and his brothers had spared Kyurem's life before. Even now that killing it was the only possible option, he would make it painless, both to hold to the Code and for the sake of the child that he had thought was his friend.

_A Sacred Swordsman does what he must, even when it hurts_. He remembered the words - Virizion, who had taught him the parts of the Code dealing with right and wrong. Virizion, who probably hated him now. He winced. Being good was harder than he thought it would be.

Keldeo reached the gate to Lacunosa Town, panting with exhaustion for the first time since he had been given immortality. He stood up, trying his best to look firm and powerful despite his small size. This time, he would have to enter the town, risking being seen by the humans, in order to fight Kyurem and save them all. The gate was firmly shut, presumably because of the bad weather. The Apprentice Swordsman grinned despite himself. Thanks to his powers, stone walls were no boundary to him.

He quickly sprayed four jets of water from his hooves, blasting himself to the level of the town's walls. A quick jump later, and he found himself gazing down into the walled city's heart. To his relief, nothing had changed. No one was running or screaming, no one could be seen cowering against the walls, and there was nothing that indicated the presence of a monstrous ice dragon. The people and Pokémon seemed perfectly fine. It wasn't too late. Judging from appearances, Cobalion and his brothers hadn't arrived yet, either.

Perfect.

In a blur Keldeo jumped down from the ridge when he was sure that no one on the streets could see him. It would work best if he executed his mission secretly without frightening anyone. He just had to come, kill Kyurem, and leave again. Humans only knew about the Sacred Swordsmen through legends, and very little in the old stories pointed to him in particular. The three had covered their tracks well when they saved the screaming orphan from the burning marshlands. Keldeo preferred to keep things that way. The Swordsmen had fought humans in ancient times to help Pokémon, but today they liked to avoid fighting, for the sake of both sides.

Besides which, even if humans were somewhat a reformed species, they still had their troublemakers. Cobalion had told stories about them to Keldeo, stories that he recieved from the Council. These humans' names were remembered less often than their actions. There was one who had gone up against the Guardian of the Seas, driving the Winged Titans of the Orange Islands to insanity in the process. Some, more sympathetic, were victims of circumstance - one, Molly Hale, was driven into a delicate mental state due to the abduction of her father by the rogue Unown General D, and D further manipulated her through illusions in an attempt to conquer the Pokémon world. The Council decided that D, not Molly, was to blame, and the general was banished for his crimes while Molly's father was returned to his family by D's dim but well-meaning successor, General K. That had been one of Keldeo's favorite stories.

Even though the humans of Lacunosa had never caused problems in the past, it would be better to avoid being seen. Keldeo ran along the alleys, hiding in shadows and quickly jetting up to the roofs if anyone came by. He disliked skulking, but in this case he had no choice. The snow on the streets replaced itself before the humans could melt or plow it, but for now there was relatively little, making traveling easier.

He noticed a handful of children, as well as a human couple, presumably out on a date. The man was a bespectacled figure, young and slim with light purple hair, carrying a brown bag filled with books. His companion had blonde hair with brown edges, wearing a red skirt with a gray belt. A Chimchar scurried along beside them. Judging from their accents, they weren't from Unova. Keldeo had never left his birth region, so he couldn't pinpoint where they were from. The Pokémon world had many great islands large enough to support life, each home to unique Pokémon species, and trade between these islands had only developed fairly recently.

Keldeo decided to leave the two alone. Humans and Pokémon, for all of their many differences, had similarities, too. The Chimchar seemed happy enough with its lot in life. He never understood why some Pokémon were willing to give up their freedom to live with humans. After all, he and his teachers enjoyed the freedom of the open lands. To be fair, the young couple seemed kind. Keldeo was sure that most humans weren't bad. His masters had seen the worst of the war, so they disagreed with him on that. Nothing seemed evil about the ones he had met so far.

He paused, hearing something shuffling some distance away. He considered driving the humans off for their own protection, but a glance backward showed that they were going away on their own, leaving Keldeo alone with the form that emerged from the shadows.

"All right, Kyurem," he told the creature, partly to work himself up. This wasn't the time to be afraid or to get emotional. He'd do what he had to do. "Come on out. I'm Keldeo, and I've come to defeat you in the name of the Sacred Swordsmen!" The figure, partly shaded by the alley, trembled. "I said, come on out, you coward!" The monster - Kyurem - stumbled weakly out of the darkness, still in the form of the black-haired, ice-eyed boy. Of all things, it looked genuinely frightened.

"Keldeo? Is that you?"

"Don't pretend you don't know, demon. _Kyurem_." The boy flinched at the word, briefly staggering. He looked around, absolutely terrified, and Keldeo felt his anger still despite his best efforts. "Don't bother to hide. Show me what you really are so I can end you."

Aisu slouched glumly. "So, you know my real name."

"I know the monster you really are. Now, then, let me end this quickly." He tried to unleash a beam attack, but stopped partway through. He wasn't able to hurt a child, even one that was an ancient demon in disguise.

"I'm not a monster," Aisu replied, his face turning serious. "I took this form so I can't hurt anyone. I don't want to eat any of the people. I just want to live in peace, that's all, to have some friends. You don't know what it was like to be alone on a mountain for thousands of years, knowing that no one would ever want to speak to me because of what I am."

"Don't lie," snarled Keldeo. "You ate those people and Pokémon in the past, didn't you?"

Aisu flinched again, and in his eyes Keldeo saw immeasurable pain and guilt. "Yes, I did. I was young and far from home, separated from my family, if I ever had one. I was very angry and hungry, and did things I shouldn't have done. Hasn't everyone done something in his or her past that we're ashamed of? I came back because I wanted to prove that I've changed, that I'm not what everyone thinks I am. Doesn't everyone deserve a chance to try and be good?"

Keldeo shuffled, looking at Aisu - or should he be called Kyurem? - sternly. "Have you eaten anyone since you got into town?"

"No. I've just eaten human food. The doctors in the town gave me some. I figured out that I don't have to eat at all, but I like it anyway."

"Is that a promise?"

Aisu raised his right hand. "I swear by the shards of the First Egg that I haven't harmed a person or Pokémon since you freed me." The Apprentice Swordsman was surprised that the creature knew a Pokémon oath, and the very oldest at that. The boy added, "And you have my word that I will not harm any more."

"I'll see to that. The Swordsmen are coming, and they won't expect to see a reformed Winter Demon. Should I call you Kyurem, or Aisu?"Keldeo asked the ancient monster.

"'Hmm. Whichever name you'd like, I guess. Aisu would be best in my human disguise. It's been very useful. If I took my real form in the town, everyone would run away without giving me a chance to explain myself. As a human, people give me a chance."

Keldeo checked that no one was in the alley. "All right. Show me what your real form looks like. No one's around to see." Aisu shrunk back, afraid.

"Are you sure? I don't want to scare anyone. I like this town a lot, and if people knew what I am they wouldn't let me stay."

But the boy stood up, his body beginning to shine with a golden light as the illusion fell away. Keldeo, entranced, watched the human shape change into something much larger and bulkier. As the aura faded, Kyurem the Winter Demon stood in the alley in all its terrible magnificence. It was like an enormous dragon that walked on its hind legs, its scaly skin gray while parts of its body were coated in blue ice. Its vast frozen wings spread out from its back, Keldeo wondering if they still worked. Its forelegs were smaller than expected, stunted and with only two claws. These claws, gleaming and hooked, seemed sharp enough to do some damage, however. It only had two eyes - yellow, pupil-less, and narrow.

"Are you afraid?" the creature rasped, scraping the dirt with its hind claws. "I'll change back if you are." Something about the giant dragon seemed as innocent and curious as the boy, and at once Keldeo knew that the creature wasn't evil. When it had arrived in the Pokémon world, it had been very young and didn't understand that it wasn't supposed to eat other living things. It probably didn't even know that what it did was wrong until the Sacred Swordsmen had punished it. He could only imagine what it must have been like to be trapped on the mountain, alone, for thousands of years.

"Yes, you may as well." Kyurem shrank back into its disguised form. "Now, we've got to get out of here before my masters come. They still think you're evil, and they'll kill you. Hurry, we don't have much time."

Aisu pointed behind Keldeo, where the young couple and the Chimchar from before stood. The three were absolutely petrified at the sight of the shapeshifing monster and the Apprentice Swordsman, frozen by fear. Keldeo knew that he couldn't leave any loose ends with Cobalion on the way, but he wanted to avoid harming the humans. There was only one thing to do in this situation.

"Aisu! True form! Now!" Kyurem obeyed with a roar, and on Keldeo's order snatched up the trio in his jaws, careful not to bite down too hard. "Be careful with them. As for you in his mouth, we'll explain later! Can you fly using those wings?"

Keldeo heard the voices of his masters, Cobalion the loudest, and the noise of pounding hooves against snow. They were coming.

"Of course I can," replied Kyurem irritably as he spread them out. "They're frozen, but that doesn't mean that they don't work when I need them to."

"Then _fly_!" cried the Apprentice Swordsman, and the enormous dragon's wings thrashed as it lunged into the air. The three Sacred Swordsmen, Cobalion in the lead, piled into the alley just as Keldeo hid on Kyurem's neck. Virizion and Terrakion gaped at the monster as the Ironhearted prepared to attack. Kyurem tried to explain that the humans that he was holding were in no danger, but Cobalion either didn't hear or was too furious to listen. The Winter Demon barely dodged a Flash Cannon before turning and retreating into the sky, Keldeo still mounted on his back.


	6. The Forest Shrine

**Keldeo and the Spirit of Winter**

Chapter 6: The Forest Shrine

After escaping Lacunosa Town, Kyurem decided to let the humans and the Chimchar go free on his back. All three of them seemed completely and understandably terrified, and Keldeo reasoned that explaining himself would be the best thing to do. He didn't want to drive the poor creatures insane, especially since he had gone out of his way to save them. He approached the woman first, bowing slowly to show that he wouldn't harm her. She and her companion didn't speak, but stared in both fear and confusion. The young man, by some miracle, was still holding his bag. He dusted himself off while she talked to Keldeo, trembling but brave. The strange Pokémon hadn't threatened them yet. In fact, Keldeo had tried his best to be kind.

"Who do you think you are? Why did you kidnap us?" she asked, less angry than puzzled. "Where did the monster come from?"

"We're sorry for the kidnapping," explained Keldeo, tossing his mane. He couldn't blame Alice for being confused - he only understood things slightly more than her. "However, we were in a rush to get out of the city and we didn't want to leave you behind to face my three masters. Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion don't like humans very much." He winced, realizing just how incriminating their dramatic escape must have looked to the Sacred Swordsmen. "As things stand, they probably think Kyurem here ate you."

"Kyurem?" The young man spoke up, trying to seem calm. "You mean the boy who changed into a dragon? Is he going to eat us?"

"Of course not. If I wanted to," growled the ice dragon, "I would have by now." However, the couple didn't seem to understand him in his true form, and he groaned. "Humans."

Keldeo snapped, "Easy, Kyurem. I can talk to them. Let me handle it." He turned back to the young blonde woman. "Wait. You aren't surprised that I can talk?"

"I guess I should be, but you aren't the first Pokémon I've seen who can do that. Remember Darkrai, in Alamos Town?" There was a flicker of understanding in the man's eyes, and his tense muscles visibly loosened. "Go on, we can talk to it. I think they're safe."

The Apprentice Swordsman knelt again. "My name is Keldeo, apprentice to the three Sacred Swordsmen who watch over Unova - Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion. We are on the back of Kyurem, the legendary monster of Lacunosa Town and who some people call the Winter Demon, although he claims to be reformed today." Kyurem grunted, although this time he wasn't trying to frighten anyone. "We aren't really sure what to do, since I came to the town to fight him and we decided that neither of us really wanted to go through with it. We're sorry that both of you got involved, but we can't take you back until we resolve our issues with Cobalion. He'll follow Kyurem, I'm sure."

The young man coughed, with a hint of sarcasm behind it. "Thank you, then. To think we had our honeymoon in Unova for a little peace and quiet, and instead we get, well, _this_." He shrugged, as if giving up, and slouched miserably on Kyurem's back. "I'm sorry this happened to us, dear."

"Who are you two, anyway?" Keldeo asked, cautious. The Chimchar yawned and sat back, calming down.

"Ah." The man stood up and bowed slightly. "My name's Tonio, and this is my friend Alice. We're from Alamos Town in Sinnoh, but we came to Lacunosa Town for something of a vacation. It looks like we got more than we bargained for."

"The Chimchar's mine," explained Alice, "and Tonio has a Driftblim. Back home in Sinnoh, I have a hot air balloon and Chimchar helps heat it."

Keldeo offered a hoof to her, and she accepted. "Pleased to meet both of you. Even though we can't let you go just yet, I promise that you'll be treated as well as we can manage. I hope you two don't mind living on snow and Berries for a while."

"Look at it this way, Alice." Tonio gave a weak smile, although he didn't seem happy about the idea of eating raw Berries. "At least these Pokémon are friendly. And imagine what this could be like for my research! The monster of Lacunosa really exists, and it _doesn't_ want to eat us. Why don't you want to, erm, it's Kyurem, right? The stories say that you used to take Pokémon and people from the streets for food."

Kyurem growled an answer while Keldeo translated for the humans. "That is my true name, yes, and yes, I used to do that. However, I discovered that I don't need food and got no real pleasure from tormenting the village people. After I came to this world, I had what you would call a temper tantrum. The Swordsmen punished me, and I decided to behave when I got my second chance and never use my old, beastly shape again."

"Wait a moment." Keldeo realized what Kyurem had said. "You mean you would've stayed in your human form forever?"

"It's not a form. It's more of a cloak. In my real body, no one would treat me with kindness, and the Sacred Swordsmen cursed me into a boy's form because they hate humans. That was not a coincidence. To them, it was to show how evil and destructive I am."

"In your true form, you could have killed me." Even in its weakened form and with its shapeshifting abilities taken by the Swordsmen, Kyurem was clearly a powerful Pokémon and a dangerous opponent from sheer size alone. Its pacifism had presumably been just as well for Cobalion. If Kyurem had chosen to return violence with violence, things could have ended badly for the Ironhearted.

"Why would I kill the one Pokémon in centuries of a cold, lonely life who had given me compassion? I'd have to be a fool to do that, eh? Besides, I have a choice in what I am, and I chose to be a human instead of a monster. I wish that Cobalion understood I've changed."

Keldeo replied, "Changing is one thing. Convincing everyone else that you've changed is another, and is just as hard if not harder. I believe you, though, and that's a start."

Tonio, trying not to feel sick, looked out onto the frozen landscape from the Winter Demon's back. "We'd probably have been snowed in anyway. The weather's been acting up recently, and it's almost impossible for anyone to enter or leave the town thanks to the walls." He took out a notebook and began to draw Keldeo, who decided to humor him with a pose.

"So, then." Alice decided to join the conversation after Tonio finished his sketch, leaning close to a flapping wing. "Do you have a plan, Keldeo? Where are you and your friend taking us?"

The Apprentice Swordsman hadn't thought of that. "First off, we could go to the forest. It's big and quiet, and there might be some wild Pokémon there who could help us. Cobalion and his helpers will probably search the town for a while. They can run fast, but they can't fly, giving us time to plan." His teachers probably didn't know that he had allied with Kyurem, fortunately. He wanted to avoid fighting them - although Kyurem itself seemed to prefer avoiding battle, the Sacred Swordsmen wouldn't oblige it, in particular Terrakion. Keldeo knew how rash the bulkiest Swordsman could be.

Tonio sighed, miserable and tired. "As long as your friend doesn't eat us, we'll come along."

"If it would make you feel better," Keldeo told him, "Kyurem will cloak itself again once we reach the ground. Do you have a gender in your true form, Kyurem?"

"No," rasped the ice dragon. "I'm a Pokémon, like you, but I don't think I have one in the same way."

"Most Pokémon spirits, including myself, don't have genders. We choose them to suit our personalities. Some, like Heatran and Cresselia, do, but they're rare cases. If you'd like one..."

"I like the way I am," grunted Kyurem crossly, and Keldeo decided not to bring the subject up again. Even though the Demon of Winter was friendly, it would be better not to upset it. Instead, he faced the Chimchar, who hadn't said a thing after being freed. Of course, Tonio and Alice couldn't understand what it said, but he could always translate for them.

"What's your name?" he asked, and the simian Pokémon approached in a huff.

"Call me Muta." She crossed her arms. "When are we landing? My master and her friend are getting a bit airsick. So am I. You kidnapped us, so you owe us that much. That was their honeymoon that you ruined, wonder pony."

Keldeo gave a slight whinny and reared up on his hind legs. "Hey, no need for the insults. I could've saved your lives. My masters don't care much for humans or Pokémon who side with humans. They wouldn't have tried to kill you, but they wouldn't have cared if you'd been caught in the crossfire, so to speak."

"Then your masters are jerks," Muta replied matter-of-factly, nodding. Keldeo didn't agree, but all the same he couldn't find it within himself to argue with her. He wasn't feeling very friendly towards Cobalion and his brothers, either. Something told him that explaining that Kyurem had turned peaceful wouldn't work. They had been at odds with the ancient monster for too long. They were good teachers, but he didn't want to be on their bad side, which it seemed might happen. They certainly wouldn't be happy to see him with Kyurem.

There was a soft, hissing roar from Kyurem, just loud enough to draw his passengers' attention. "Now that everyone's stopped insulting one another, I'll take us in to land at the heart of the forest. We can stay there for a bit, but we'll have to move again before Cobalion and his brothers find us."

"It's you and Keldeo they want," remarked Muta. "Not us. You said yourself that they couldn't care less about us." Before Keldeo could reply, Kyurem landed with a heavy thud and spread out its frozen wings. Alice helped Tonio off of the giant Pokémon's back while Keldeo, Muta riding him, sprang off with a blast of water from his hooves. He managed a proud smile - he did love that power. It certainly made him difficult to outrun. He didn't have to ask Kyurem to disguise himself. The dragon melted away into its human form on its own, with the same black hair, ice-colored eyes, and ragged clothes.

"In this form," Aisu told Tonio and Alice as the light around him faded, "you two can understand what I say."

"You're certainly less... frightening," Alice replied, cautiously watching him. "You're sure that you won't eat us?"

"I promise. I don't take my real form unless I really have to, and in this one I'm harmless." Aisu, leaving the two humans alone, turned to the Apprentice Swordsman. "Now, then, Keldeo. Do you know where we are?" He looked around at the frozen forest. "I don't see any wild Pokémon, and the land all looks the same to me."

"All I know," Tonio joked nervously, "is that I'm glad that I brought a sweater."

"And I have a nice fur coat," added Muta, even though her owner couldn't understand her.

Keldeo, however, stayed serious. "We're going to the temple around here. It's warmer in there and it's under the protection of one of the guardian spirits." He turned, briefly gesturing for Aisu, Muta, Alice and Tonio to follow him. "It's only fifteen minutes or so ahead. You'll know we're there when we see a statue. You'll know what I'm talking about when we reach it."

On the way, Keldeo decided to have a word with Tonio and Alice. He liked them and thought that they needed some calming; they were a little less scared than they were before, but still anxious around Aisu. Unlike the other humans from the town, they knew what he really was and were understandably afraid of being eaten by the Winter Demon. It's natural, he thought, for prey to be worried around a predator. A Pidgey wouldn't believe a Sneasel who claimed to have turned vegetarian.

"Why'd you two choose Unova? There are quieter places in this world to go for a honeymoon."

"Peace and quiet," explained Tonio, trying to keep himself from getting too wet. The snow reached about six inches now, making walking difficult. "There are some people in Alamos who, while they aren't _bad_ people, are, well, less than pleasant. One of these people was interested in Alice, and we went on a trip to get away from him and to spare his feelings if part of him really does care for her."

"You mean Alberto?" Alice rolled her eyes. "He's lost, and he knows it - he stopped going after me once we said that we were going to be married. He'll have to find someone who'll put up with him."

Tonio smiled. "The Baron's got a bit of good in him. He and his money helped restore things to normal after Dialga and Palkia left. All the same, it's a relief to get away from him. He... did get on my nerves."

"I heard about that. Dialga and Palkia were forced to fight, and the town where you lived was almost destroyed in the process." Keldeo was familiar with the story. "The Pokémon Elemental Darkrai helped save everyone. It's a true miracle that no one was killed."

Alice briefly embraced Tonio, who blushed. "Tonio here helped, too. He figured out that his grandfather, the great Sinnoh architect and folklorist Godey, had been warned of the way to fix things in his time. We realized that we could stop the fighting through a certain record in the Space-Time Tower thanks to Godey's work."

"If that's true, you two have at least met the Pokémon spirits before. I'm pleased to have you with us, Ms. Alice and Mr. Tonio." Keldeo sprang up ahead, landing beside the humanoid Pokémon statue. "Would your ancestor know what this is?"

"Probably not, but it's probably some sort of local guardian deity. Worship of Pokémon spirits was common in rural areas like this." Tonio knelt to examine the stone platform underneath the figure, brushing away moss to expose writing. "Ah, yes, this is an old Unovan dialect, not too different from ancient Sinnohese. I think it's some sort of prayer. Judging from what I can understand, it's an invocation for a being called the Spirit Singer, She Whose Songs Bring Harmony. Not a creature from Sinnoh folklore, certainly, and not one worshipped today like the Flower King Shaymin. This must date back at least two thousand years at least. I wish I could help, but Unovan mythology isn't my field."

That was even before the legendary Two Brothers of Unova and the coming of the spirits of ideals and truth. Keldeo and Aisu couldn't read human letters, but Alice asked first.

"Can you read it?"

"Yes, I think so. I can't translate all of it, but I can read this language well enough." Keldeo could understand it, too - it had still been used in his time. Slowly, tentatively, Tonio began to read the ancient prayer, invoking the name of the mysterious Spirit Singer. He called her the bringer of good fortune, a guardian whose songs ended strife and brought quarreling families and nations together again, whose music could tame the wildest of hearts and end the harshest winters. The prayer itself was metered and song-like.

As the prayer finished, a thin mist rose up around the statue and the four onlookers stood back. Aisu stoot at the front, completely unafraid, Keldeo standing firmly beside him. If the being was what he thought it was, there was nothing to be scared of. The being described in Tonio's prayer had clearly been a good being and was not to be feared. The ancient Unovans clearly got along with it.

"Hello," the mist hummed, the voice behind slightly dry, as if it hadn't been used in such a long time that it was as mossy as the statue. "Who called me? It's been a long time. I didn't know that anyone still remembered the invocation prayer."

Tonio stood up, boldly facing the fog. "I read the prayer. I'm Tonio of Alamos Town. This is my friend Alice, and these are Aisu, Keldeo, and Alice's Chimchar."

"Greetings, Tonio of Alamos Town," sang the mist, playing with the name. "Tonio. That's a nice name. I like it. Is it all right if I show myself?"

Before the young man could reply, the fog burst to reveal a Pokémon, a flesh-and-blood version of the statue. It was a small creature, even shorter than Keldeo, although it could hover in midair. Its skin was pearl-colored while its hair was a pale green, apart from black lines and blue markings. Its black hands had no fingers, and it almost seemed to wear a black dress with a single green stripe across it. Unlike the statue, which wore shoes, its toeless feet were bare. It eyed the four visitors for a moment, nodded to Tonio, and sprang down from the air to join them. Startled, Aisu jumped back.

"It is so rare that people visit my temple. You're a strange group; none of you are familiar, but I welcome you anyway." The creature gave a short curtsy. "You may call me Meloetta, the Spirit Singer."


	7. Meloetta

**Keldeo and the Spirit of Winter**

Chapter 7: Meloetta

The strange creature, Meloetta, giggled as it observed Tonio's awed expression. "No need to be so shy. You summoned me. It's only fair that you talk back, Tonio of Alamos Town. Thank you - that statue was beginning to get very damp and mossy, which was terrible for my voice. Now I feel much more fit, and I would guess that I owe you and your friends a favor. As I said, I thought no one knew the ritual anymore. So much of the ancient knowledge has been lost, forgotten, or destroyed. Such a shame. The ancient people here were far more civilized than, say, Hoenn's Pokélantians. They worshipped the Pokémon spirits and treated us with respect."

Tonio instinctively bowed to the Spirit Singer, gesturing for the others to follow his lead. His research had done little to prepare him for real encounters with ancient Pokémon, but his experiences with Darkrai in Alamos Town gave him some idea of the correct protocol. Manners were important, and just because Meloetta was under three feet tall didn't mean that it - she, judging from its mannerisms and voice - wasn't extremely powerful and deserving of respect. Tonio and Alice had seen Dialga and Palkia, the twin High Spirits who controlled time and space, and been abducted by the Winter Demon of Lacunosa Town. They were not the least bit frightened, just careful.

"Lady Meloetta." Keldeo approached, kneeling before the Spirit Singer. "As Tonio said, I'm Keldeo, the Apprentice Swordsman. I serve under the three Sacred Swordsmen of Unova - Cobalion the Ironhearted, Virizion the Meadowrunner, and Terrakion the Stonehorned. Are you familiar with them in any way?"

Meloetta thought for a moment and shrugged. "Sorry, I can't say I am. I wasn't a member of the Council back in the day, as humans were my area of concern. I helped inspire this world's musicians and artists, occasionally using my songs to end wars and the like. That's why I'm called the Spirit Singer - my music has magic that can control the emotions of people. Unfortunately, one day a war came that my singing couldn't stop. My red shoes were lost, and I sealed myself away in the shrine until someone cared enough about the past to let me out."

"Good work, Tonio," Alice told her husband with sincerity. "Godey would be proud of you."

"Godey didn't accidentally summon a mythical Pokémon spirit. I'm just glad it's a friendly one." Tonio watched the ancient creature, careful but inquisitive. It seemed much more sociable than Darkrai. Although it was a good being, Darkrai's power over nightmares meant that it had to be cautious around people in case its abilities activated. Meloetta didn't suffer this hinderance.

"Who's Godey?" asked Meloetta, and Tonio explained. Being sealed in a statue for four hundred years meant that Meloetta had a lot of human history to catch up on.

"Godey was my great-grandfather who lived in Alamos Town, in the Sinnoh region, far away from here. He died before I was born, but he was a very skilled scholar, folklorist, and architect in his day, and I've always been pressured to live up to his example. He was the one who sealed away the Oración to calm Dialga and Palkia. Everyone in the town owes their very lives to him and his work."

Meloetta laughed, the sound like wind chimes. "Do you know who first sang the Oración?"

"I assumed Godey wrote it. Do you?"

"Of course, silly. I was the one who first created it. Godey simply recorded it in a physical form. It was my song for healing hearts and curing madness. I gave it to the humans to protect them in case things ever went wrong with the Pokémon spirits. The Song of the Water's Guardian in Shamouti Island is my work, too, a stylized representation of Lugia's cry. Music in this world has all kinds of power. Just because I'm small doesn't mean I can't hold my own if I have to." Meloetta looked curiously at Aisu. "And who are you?"

"I like to be called Aisu," explained the disguised monster, "but my real name is Kyurem. I was the monster of Lacunosa Town, although today I'm reformed and do not eat Pokémon or humans anymore."

Meloetta shrank back in shock, and Aisu sighed. He had a lot of work to do if he wanted to be accepted by the creatures of Unova as a friend instead of a threat. "Kyurem? The Cannibal Spirit is here? Where?"

"That would be me. I promise, though, I've changed. I don't want to harm anyone, and all I want is to have friends. Please don't call me a cannibal. I haven't eaten anyone for five hundred years."

"Friends?" Meloetta scanned Aisu. "You're the monster? You don't seem that frightening to me, and you sound even less scary."

In response, Kyurem changed back to its true form, the enormous dragon with fangs, yellow eyes, and vast, ice-covered wings. It stared down at Meloetta, quietly saying, "That's why I can't show myself as I really am. Everyone's terrified of me, and their fear is completely justified. You can't expect them to be friendly to something as, well, _bad_ as I was in the past." It bowed its head, its tiny forearms trembling. "But I swear by everything sacred in this world that I've changed my ways and only want to live in peace."

"We believe him," remarked Tonio. "If he wasn't telling the truth, Alice and I wouldn't be here."

"Change back," Alice suggested, "in case Cobalion is searching for you. You're sort of hard to miss like that." Kyurem nodded and transformed into Aisu, his blue eyes now frightened. "He's like a child in some ways. Innocent. He hasn't harmed anyone, though - he went out of his way to avoid attacking Cobalion."

Aisu winced. "He already thinks I'm an evil monster. I didn't want to prove it for him."

"That's wise," observed Meloetta, who perched atop her statue. "I suppose I'll take your word for it. I'd be happy to help you, but my powers aren't as strong as they used to be. Being sealed away for so long made my voice a little sour. I'll need time to fix it, and my shoes are lost."

Keldeo, remembering the prayer on the guardian spirit's shrine, realized something that could prove vital. "Your voice can call spring, can't it? Can you end this winter for us? It's gone on for far too long and everyone's suffering. The snow has trapped the humans in Lacunosa Town and the Pokémon have to hide in the mountains just to stay alive."

"I would love to," the Spirit Singer sighed, "but my abilities are much weaker today than they were in the past. I'll need time to recover them. Until then, we'll have to stick together."

"Figures that it wouldn't be that easy," muttered Keldeo. "So, where do we go? The mountains? Deeper in the forest?"

"There are other great spirits who live in Unova. If we find them, I'm sure they'll help us once they hear how serious the situation is. The forest looks sick, and the rivers are all frozen. It's a good thing that the Basculin are so hardy. The other fish Pokémon hopefully migrated. They're not stupid."

Aisu grinned. "If I help save Unova, the Sacred Swordsmen might understand that I'm one of the good guys now and stop chasing me. Miss Meloetta, are you coming with us? We've got a lot of ground to cover if we're going to make it out of the forest and back to my mountain. The wild Pokémon there might have some advice on which spirit could save spring."

Keldeo pawed the snow. "So you're not causing the winter by accident?"

Aisu shook his head. "No. I have control over my powers now, and I know better than to tamper with the world's climate. Even at my worst, I understood that much. This is nature's work, I'm afraid."

Tonio rolled his eyes. "Great. So Alice and I can't go home until you've fixed the weather and Kyurem's name has been cleared. Just great. I guess we'd better get used to the cold, then."

"It isn't as bad as all that. We could be back home in Alamos Town with Baron Alberto."

Her husband grinned weakly. "I guess you're right. Here, I think there's someone you might want to meet." He drew a Poke Ball from his pocket and, in a flash of red light, a large purple Drifblim appeared, hovering in midair. It didn't seem as badly affected by the cold as its humans, although its being a Ghost-type probably helped. It seemed badly confused.

"Hello, Muta," it told the Chimchar shyly, then noticing that it was surrounded by complete strangers. "Can you tell me who they are?"

"Be polite," Muta snapped gesturing to their companions. "Two of the Pokémon spirits are here. Show some proper reverence. This is the Apprentice Swordsman Keldeo, this is Meloetta the Spirit Singer, and this is, um, not a Pokémon spirit. Despite what it looks like, it's actually Kyurem the Winter Demon."

"Demon?" the Drifblim gasped, frightened. "There's a _demon_ here? Will it kill us?"

"No!" Muta groaned, exasperated. "Kyurem's reformed. At least he claims he is, and judging from the fact that all of us are still alive I think he means it."

"Oh." Relaxing somewhat, the Drifblim looked out over the snowy forest and the iced-up rivers. "This place looks like a mess. I think I preferred my Poke Ball. It was warm there."

Keldeo broke into the conversation. "Well, whatever your name is, it looks like you're part of our team to save the world. Tonio and Alice are here, too."

The Drifblim blinked its vacant red eyes, hovering in the air listlessly. "My name is Nekki. Tonio had me since I was a Drifloon, and he takes me wherever he goes. Including Unova, it seems." He gestured with a purple appendage to his owner. "He's a good human, all things considered."

The Apprentice Swordsman faced Tonio and Alice. "Would you like to know the real names of your Pokémon? It would likely strengthen your relationship with them."

"All right," Alice agreed, Tonio joining her. Keldeo was impressed by their care for Muta and Nekki respectively, and happily re-introduced them to the Chimchar and Drifblim respectively. Very few humans learned the true names of the Pokémon under their care, and these two struck him as kind and deserving. The Pokémon, too, were likeable - Muta was brave despite her sarcasm, and the shy, confused nature of Nekki was sweet in its own way. He wondered how skilled the two Pokémon were as fighters, if they ever had to face the Swordsmen or worse.

Alice and Tonio, for their part, were as courageous as two humans who had seen the High Spirits could be. Their experiences with Darkrai had probably kept them from overreacting when they learned that Keldeo could talk. In many ways, it was just as well that Keldeo had been forced to kidnap them than two random humans who had no idea what was going on. At least Keldeo could have a conversation with Tonio and Alice, as surreal as it was for both sides. Of the two, Tonio seemed more skittish, but his skill with languages and mythology had already shown to be useful. It wasn't just any human who could, however unintentionally, awaken a Pokémon spirit.

One of the lesser ones, yes, weakened by hundreds of years of being unnecessary, yes, but a Pokémon spirit nevertheless. If there was some way to restore Meloetta's power, she might become even more useful.

Kyurem, too, could become a much more powerful ally if his ability to take the forms of Reshiram and Zekrom was given back. Keldeo didn't know where the two great dragons were and wouldn't dare approach them uninvited. Unfortunately, as Cobalion had explained, the pair's sacred relics were hidden away, and the Ironhearted had been prudent enough not to give his apprentice their location. Since he was sure that the Sacred Swordsmen wouldn't give him the needed materials if they suspected that he was helping Kyurem, he would have to steal them.

Keldeo wasn't comfortable with the idea of becoming a thief as well as an outcast and a sneak. However, in this case he had no choice if he was to give his companion the power it needed. They'd need to ask another guardian spirit for advice, most likely.

"Virizion could have warned me that doing the right thing could make my friends hate me," he grumbled as he turned away from the shrine and walked into the snow. "I've broken so many parts of the Code that it isn't even funny."

"What's the Code?" asked Alice, and the Apprentice Swordsman turned around.

"Oh. To become a Sacred Swordsman, there is a set of rules that I need to follow. Defending the weak, doing the honorable thing at all times, and protecting the Pokémon of Unova with my life if I have to. It looks like what's good isn't as simple as I thought it would be. I'll be amazed if Cobalion ever accepts me again, let alone let me become a full Swordsman. I broke that law when I rescued Aisu - Kyurem - from the snow."

"Some law if it stops you from helping others," snapped Muta, and Keldeo retorted, "It's against interfering with humans. I don't think that's always right now, but I can understand it. Cobalion and his brothers used to fight humans to protect nature. They still don't trust people very much."

"They must feel that humans betrayed them," Alice realized. "What happened must've been really bad if they're still angry about it hundreds of years later."

Keldeo gave her a somber look. "It was a terrible war between two brothers. The swamp where I was born burned almost to destruction in a fire that the younger brother's army set fire to. The Sacred Swordsmen rescued me from the flames, but many innocent Pokémon and humans weren't so lucky and burned to death. It took the great dragons who represent truth and ideals to stop the fighting before all of Unova was reduced to ashes."

"I remember reading about that in one of my books," Tonio mused. "It was by far the darkest period of Unova's history."

"That's the war," Meloetta said softly. "The anger in the brothers' hearts was too great for even my powers to still it. In the attempt, my shoes were lost and I used up too much of my power at once. I hid myself away in the shrine out of despair, but fortunately Zekrom and Reshiram came to save the world, and concealed themselves from humans so that a war like that wouldn't happen again. Some Pokémon spirits are too powerful to safely interact with humans. What are you, Kyurem?"

Aisu shrugged, kicking a heap of snow away. "I don't know. I'd like to think I'm not a demon, though. I think I must be a Pokémon like you, but then I have no idea why I can take the shapes of Zekrom and Reshiram. I didn't come from Unova. I'm strong in this form, but to get my full power back I need to get their relics. Cobalion took my merging ability away as part of my punishment."

"Some punishment," remarked Nekki, impressed by Cobalion's power.

"Well, then," Meloetta hummed, "we'll just have to get them back. Another Pokémon spirit is active in this area of Unova - Landorus the Harvest Bringer. We'll just have to go around Lacunosa Town to reach the Abundant Shrine, where he lives. I'm sure he'll help us. He's certainly more useful than his two brothers. With any luck, they aren't around, as they travel around the roads to change the weather for fun. They're a little immature when it comes to using their powers, as they're young by our standards."

Keldeo understood. Hower much he hated to admit it, younger Pokémon spirits seemed to have trouble in general controlling their tempers and their powers if he and Kyurem also stood as examples. Teenage mentalities and godlike powers over nature didn't mix.

"Will you need me to call him?" Tonio asked, and Meloetta shook her head.

"Landorus is fairly obliging. I'm sure he'll come when I sing for him. My voice hasn't been heard in this land for so long that I hope he still remembers it."

Aisu rubbed Keldeo on the crest of his neck. "We'd better get moving. Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion are probably on their way right now, and we'll have to travel fast to avoid them. I can't fly because that will draw their attention to us. I'm just too big to miss in my true form." Keldeo heard Tonio and Alice sigh in relief. They were obviously still uncomfortable around the enormous dragon.

"I'd have to agree. We lost him for now, but Cobalion's smart. He'll be on our trail quickly enough if we don't leave." With a quick whinny, Keldeo led his group forward, turning to the shrine one last time. Muta and Nekki exchanged curious looks. "Coming, Meloetta?"

"Well, I don't see why not," Meloetta whistled, diving to hover beside Alice. "I like you, and this looks like an exciting adventure." Tonio muttered something about too much excitement, and to keep up morale Keldeo led the way, forging ahead into the winter. Nekki brought up the rear, now very frightened, while Muta walked beside the Apprentice Swordsman, using her flames to clear the path.


End file.
